Topolabamba, Glasgow

Topolabamba – www.topolabamba.com
89 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5TF

My third visit to Topolabamba and still as impressive as ever. I guess you could describe it as Mexican-style tapas, with some larger dishes for the hungrier customer.  We visited the restaurant around 8.30pm on a Saturday and only waited around 20-25 minutes for a table (despite being told it would be 45).  Having the table wait cut in half was definitely a good start.

We decided to share and chose five of the  smaller dishes. Five dinners in one – score. In the snaps below there’s the Coctel de Camaron (Mexican style prawn cocktail), the Chargrilled Flat Iron Steak with Peanut Sauce, Chicken Tinga quesadillas, and Shredded Beef Tostadas.  And not pictured are the Barbacoa Beef Taquitos, which was dish number five.  I’ve sampled a lot of the menu over my few visits and can’t remember trying anything that wasn’t great. The steak and peanut sauce, along with the prawn cocktail were the particular highlights from this trip.

Topolabamba includes a ‘heat’ key on the menu, and this along with a decent selection of meats and the knowledgeable waiting staff mean your needs should be covered pretty well. It might not mean much to some, but it’s nice knowing in advance how hot I can expect dishes to be since I’m a bit of a wuss on the ol’ spice front.  From memory, I don’t think there are any vegan options on the menu at all. I thought this was worth noting in case you are that way inclined.

Edinburgh saw the opening of Topolabamba’s second restaurant in July, on Lothian Road. I’m not totally clued up on the authenticity of this Mexican food but Topolabamba is definitely a crowd pleaser.  And the ideal spot if you like to try five meals in one, like me.

Thanks for reading.

And a shout out to the group of pals who gave me a wave while taking some exterior snaps!